


Home for Christmas

by BansheeLydia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Christmas Fluff, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, New York City, Pining, Snow Angels, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 04:59:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9368969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BansheeLydia/pseuds/BansheeLydia
Summary: Someday, she might have the guts to kiss Kira under the mistletoe.  Someday.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wakeupstiles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wakeupstiles/gifts).



“I wish it snowed here.”

Kira finished writing something down and looked up, following Malia’s gaze to their dorm window. Outside, it looked a little bleak, but the weather was definitely a lot better than the Michigan snow that Allison and Lydia kept sending them snapchats of.

She bit into a red vine, shrugging. “It usually snows back in New York. It’s not that great. It’s cold and wet and _slippery_.”

Malia tilted her head slightly. “You slipped and hurt something once, didn’t you?”

Kira flicked the rest of the candy at Malia. “My arm,” she admitted. “At school when I was eight. I cried and got snot everywhere. It was embarrassing.”

Malia’s grin widened, unrepentant when Kira lifted her middle finger in response and went back to her textbook. There were several books spread out around Kira on her bed and sparkly colourful pens scattered around her pad full of notes. She even had a checklist and flash cards. Malia had only bothered to bring her chemistry textbook and a highlighter, and both were abandoned in front of her. Finals were coming up and she needed to cram, but she just couldn’t focus. Christmas was in the air; she’d dragged Kira out the day before to try the coffee shop’s new festive range; she’d dragged Kira out the week before to see the pretty lights; she’d dragged Kira out the week before _that_ to pick out gifts for people. She was in the mood to watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate, not study.

“I’ve never seen snow before.”

Kira’s gaze snapped up instantly at that. “Never?”

“I mean, obviously I’ve seen it on TV and everything. Just never in real life.”

She gazed at Malia for a few, quiet moments, dark eyes unreadable. There wasn’t the usual pity or awkwardness Malia got from people when she mentioned things like that, but there was something on Kira’s face – a gentleness – that made Malia feel all fluttery inside. 

“Maybe I’ll get you some fake snow for Christmas,” she finally offered, mouth tugging up into a teasing smile, and Malia smiled back. Kira reached out, tapping her on the nose with the end of a twizzler. “Now study. We have plans, remember?”

Malia rolled her eyes, trying not to show the fondness she felt towards her roommate. They’d only met each other for the first time when they both moved into their dorm back in September, but she couldn’t imagine Kira not being her best friend. They’d made plans during one afternoon of Netflix and popcorn; they were going to live together while they both finished their education. Malia was going to be a cop and Kira was going to be a vet. They were going to share an apartment and get a cat and have a cool indoor garden to grow herbs and Malia was going to rope Kira into helping her put up obscene amounts of Christmas decorations every year. Someday, she might have the guts to kiss Kira under the mistletoe. Someday.

“That doesn’t look like studying,” Kira said in a sing-song voice, not even looking up from her flashcards.

Malia rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face as she uncapped her highlighter and got to work.

❄❄❄

“I felt so prepared and then I went in there and all the words seemed to make, like, _no_ sense at all. I’m pretty sure I bombed it and my sister’s gonna rub it in my face for _years_ and – Malia?”

Malia blinked, looking at Erica. Her friend raised an eyebrow and she ran over their conversation in her head, trying to figure out what Erica had been talking to her about. 

“The exam,” she blurted.

Erica laughed. “Yeah, Malia. The exam.”

She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Sorry. I’m super tired.”

Her eyes felt dry and gritty and she could feel the tiredness with every bit of her body. She wanted nothing more than to just curl up in bed and sleep for a week without having to worry about studying or exams or grades.

“It’s cool, I get it. Everyone’s pretty exhausted.” Erica opened her mouth to carry on where she’d left off, but then she focused on something over Malia’s shoulder and smirked slightly. “Never mind. I’ll text you later, okay?”

Malia gave a distracted nod, gaze already on Kira as she approached, and offered a wave as Erica walked away.

“Hey, you,” Kira smiled, holding out a coffee cup.

Malia took it, lifting it up to breathe in the scent, and sighed at the comforting smell of chocolate.

“Peppermint hot chocolate,” Kira said, sipping from her own cup.

“My favorite,” Malia replied and Kira’s answering grin warmed her more than the first burst of minty chocolate on her tongue.

Kira tucked Malia’s scarf up around her chin to ward off the crisp chill and they set off, falling naturally into step with each other. There was a shortcut back to their dorm, but Malia kept going without needing to ask; she knew Kira preferred the longer walk when there was a little bit of a winter bite in the air. It reminded her of home. 

Kira chattered away as they walked, making Malia laugh with a story about her professor tripping into the trashcan in class, and it was nice that Kira knew that Malia didn’t like to talk about how exams went right after; she needed time to sleep and relax and stop worrying about how she did before letting others know how she felt about it.

As they entered their building together, Kira’s pinkie finger brushed against Malia’s, and out of the corner of her eye Malia saw Kira duck her head, hair _almost_ hiding her smile, and the flutter in Malia’s belly had nothing to do with exam nerves.

❄❄❄

“What are you doing for Christmas?”

Malia paused, running her fingertip across the edge of her book. “Nothing really. I’m gonna go see David and Marie, maybe.”

Truthfully, she wasn’t looking forward to the break. She was going to stay with her ex and his boyfriend and family and probably celebrate Christmas with them, but she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d be intruding. She and Stiles were still good friends and Scott was one of her best friends, and John had always been kind and welcoming to her. But Christmas was a _family_ thing. 

She’d actually only properly celebrated Christmas with Stiles. She couldn’t remember the Christmases she had with the Tates – the first adoptive parents and sister that she’d lived with since she was a baby – before the car crash when she was four. She’d had plenty of foster families over the years, moving from pillar to post, staying for a few months before the foster parents inevitably decided she wasn’t a good fit for them. David and Marie had been the longest, and the kindest, foster parents; she’d lived with them from the age of fifteen to eighteen. They hadn’t celebrated Christmas. Living with them had been nice, but with five other foster kids in the house and Malia’s own feelings of just not being settled, she never felt she really belonged there.

She’d never known her biological mother; there was no record of her. She’d found her biological father when she was sixteen. She’d met him once and didn’t really want to see him again. It was hard to bond with someone who was in a coma. Besides Peter, she only had two biological family members that were still alive, and they were both in South America and practically strangers.

So, yeah. She’d never really had the big family Christmas. Kind of ironic since Christmas was her favourite time of the year – the movies, the lights, the _food_ – so she didn’t really talk about it much.

When she looked up, Kira was watching her, that same gentle, understanding look on her face. Malia swallowed, leaning up on her elbows and closing her book. 

“Well, I was kinda hoping you could come see me, if you’re not busy?” Kira asked, folding a sweater neatly and placing it in her suitcase.

Malia looked up, surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah. I spoke to my parents and they’d love for you to visit. We don’t really celebrate Christmas, but New York is beautiful this time of the year, and we could totally go ice skating and do festive stuff. Plus, it snows. _Real_ snow.” Kira threw her a grin over her shoulder. “It’d be nice to see you over the break. I’ll miss you.”

For a moment, Malia couldn’t speak. Her heart felt like it was going to burst and she was caught with the urge to just cup Kira’s cheek and kiss her breathless. 

“I’d love that,” she finally managed.

Kira smiled brightly and Malia’s own huge grin almost hurt.

❄❄❄

LaGuardia airport was big. And _busy_.

Malia tightened her grip on her suitcase, shoving her other hand into the pocket of her jacket as she narrowly avoided a collision with another frowning dude in a suit. There seemed to be a constant crowd around her – people like suit guy, large families, people like her who were visiting for the holiday – and she was starting to feel closed in and uncomfortable, pissed off with how many times she’d been shoulder bumped in the last ten minutes alone.

That all melted away the second she saw Kira, though.

She was stood a few feet away from the crowd of other people waiting, leaning up on her tiptoes to try and see over the mass of people to spot Malia. She was wearing cute fingerless gloves and a knitted beanie over her curls and she looked so _beautiful_. It had only been a few days since Malia had last seen her – she’d visited Scott and Stiles and David and Marie before travelling to New York – but the sight of her made her relax, feeling completely and utterly at home. 

Kira finally saw her and she grinned, waving wildly. Malia laughed, breaking through the crowd and closing the distance between them. 

“Hey,” she said softly.

Kira’s gaze was warm as she smiled back. “Hi.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Kira reached for Malia’s case, rolling her eyes when Malia held on stubbornly. “How was the flight?”

“Not so bad,” Malia replied, letting Kira lead her towards the exit. “I slept for most of it.”

Kira nodded. “So, we’re gonna get a taxi. My parents wanted to come and greet you, but they’re both working.”

“What do they do?”

“My dad teaches high school history and my mom’s a chef.” Kira slid her an amused glance. “Boring, I know.”

“I don’t think anything about you could ever be boring.” Malia replied.

❄❄❄

Kira’s parents were _lovely_.

Mr Yukimura had a kind face and a laugh that Malia couldn’t help but grin to when she heard it. He insisted on ‘ _call me Ken, please_ ’ and told embarrassing stories about Kira that made her groan and bury her face in her hands.

Mrs Yukimura looked stern when she got home, but there was a warmth in her eyes and when she offered Malia a smile, it lit up her whole face. She had a dry sense of humor, cooked the best food Malia had ever eaten, and seemed genuinely interested in listening to Malia talk about college and the stuff she and Kira got up to.

They were nice and Malia felt at ease pretty quickly, less like she was intruding and more like they genuinely welcomed her there. There was this warm, happy, soft feeling expanding behind her ribs, wrapping itself around her heart like a blanket. She was pretty sure she’d never smiled so much in her life but she wasn’t the only one; despite her embarrassment at her dad’s stories, every time Kira caught Malia’s gaze, she smiled back, just a gentle quirk of her lips that never failed to make Malia’s stomach flutter.

 _Wow_ , Malia thought, gazing at Kira as her friend tossed her head back and laughed brightly at one of Ken’s terrible jokes, _I’m kind of really in love with you._

Kira’s bedroom was exactly what Malia had been expecting; a double bed with fairy lights wrapped around the headboard; photographs of her friends dotting the walls; piles of books on every available surface and cute little knick knacks lined up on a shelf above her desk.

Malia was exhausted from a long day and the flight and stayed quiet as she brushed her teeth and changed into pajamas in Kira’s little bathroom. Kira was in the right side of the bed, doing something on her phone, but when Malia climbed into the other side she set her phone aside and rolled over. The lights glowed softly in the darkness, dancing across Kira’s face, making her eyes shine as she smiled.

“Sorry if dinner was awkward,” she said softly. “My dad likes to take every chance to tell the story about me and the frog.”

Malia shook her head. “It was great,” she replied. “Really. It…it felt nice.”

Kira wrapped her arms around a heart shaped cushion. “Good.”

❄❄❄

Kira wasn’t kidding about snow.

Malia spent close to an hour curled up on Kira’s window seat, fingers wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate as she watched the snow. Kira had settled on the other end, her toes tucked against Malia’s, a blanket swamping her as she quietly read. Occasionally, she’d glance up and grin at Malia’s expression.

It was _beautiful_. The ground had a thick, dazzling layer of snow and little flakes drifted down. It made her feel all warm and cozy and happy.

“Can we go out?” She asked.

Kira raised her eyebrows. “It’s cold,” she said. “And slippery. And hard to actually see. And it’ll only get worse, too.”

“Exactly! So we should go get coffee before it gets worse.”

Kira rolled her eyes, but her smile was all indulgent as she marked her page and closed her book. “Wrap up warm.”

Malia pulled on her coat, gloves and a beanie, laughing when Kira grabbed a scarf and wound it around Malia’s neck, securing it neatly and tucking it up so it would keep her chin warm too.

“Thanks, mom.”

Kira scrunched her nose in response, eyes sparkling as she pulled on some gloves and lead the way out. The second they were out of the building, Malia paused on the steps, tilting her head back to let the snow fall on her face. It was cold and wet, but it was nice, and the bite in the air was almost comforting. She let her tongue dart out, catching a flake and letting it melt.

When she lowered her head again, she caught Kira watching her, expression soft. She ducked her head shyly when their gazes met, but her smile was blinding. 

They got hot chocolate, cupping their hands around their cups to warm up as they walked. Malia spent more time taking in the beautiful snow than talking but Kira didn’t mind, just moving closer as they cut through a park.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Kira’s hand brushed against Malia’s, and without saying anything they linked their fingers together, holding hands as they headed back to Kira’s.

Malia managed to convince Kira to help her build a snowman. It was small, and looked a little sad, but Malia snapped plenty of photos. Her favorite was the one of her and Kira taking a selfie in front of the snowman, grinning at the camera. 

It was perfect.

On the way back inside, Malia’s foot caught on a slippery bit of ice and she fell onto her ass, her mouth dropping open in surprise. Cold damp seeped through her jeans and Kira laughed and laughed until Malia couldn’t help but laugh too.

❄❄❄

Spending the break with Kira was nice.

They watched Christmas movies together. They cooked together (which ultimately ended up with Kira, who could actually cook, doing most of it while Malia, who’s greatest culinary effort so far was box mac and cheese, perched on the counter and sang badly until Kira joined in), and hung out with her parents. They went to see the Christmas lights and Kira took her sightseeing. They had a snowball fight (which, while fun, was a lot more cold and wet than the movies made it look) and visited a Christmas market. They drank endless cups of peppermint hot chocolate. Kira even made gingerbread cookies with her. They were kind of burned and a little bland, but both Ken and Noshiko ate loads anyway and smiled and complimented them.

On Malia’s last day there, Kira took her ice skating.

The rink was huge and excitement had Malia practically bouncing as they walked, but it fizzled into nerves the closer they got. She eyed the skates as they paid, wary of the blades.

“We’re supposed to balance on those?”

Kira laughed. “It’s not as difficult as it looks, I promise.”

Malia narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t argue as she sat down and swapped her boots for the skates. The second she got to her feet, she almost fell on her ass, but Kira caught her hands with a grin, keeping her upright. Slowly, they eased onto the ice, and somehow it was even _worse_ ; Malia slipped and this time Kira wasn’t quick enough. She did, at least, keep her laughing to a minimum as she helped Malia back to her feet.

“Ow,” she muttered, rubbing her ass.

Kira smiled. “Keep hold of my hand.” When Malia eyed the ice, she added, “Trust me?”

Malia took her hand without hesitation. Kira kept her grip firm, secure, her own pace slow as she helped Malia get used to the ice and slowly learn how to glide on the skates without losing her balance. It was slow, but Kira stayed patient, and eventually they ended up in the middle of the rink without Malia slipping once.

“See?” Kira grinned. “It’s fun.”

Malia smiled. “It’s amazing.”

Kira let go of her hands, instead moving to wrap her arms around Malia’s waist. “I can’t wait until we’re back at school. I know you’ll only be away for a couple of days before we see each other again, but…I’ll miss you.”

Malia’s heart fluttered and her hands came up to cup Kira’s face. “I love you,” she said softly, the words so easy, so perfect.

Kira smiled, bumping their noses together. “I love you too.”

When their lips touched, it felt like coming into the warmth after a snowball fight; it was like gingerbread cookies fresh out of the oven and pretty lights twinkling in the snow. It was soft and warm and it filled Malia with a feeling of _yes, this, right here, is where you belong_.

It felt like home.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently accepting prompts at allirica.tumblr.com


End file.
